1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a film image input system, and more particularly to a film image input system wherein an image of a developed still photo film is image-sensed by an image sensing means to be converted into electric signals and the electric signals are input into a video monitor, to thereby reproduce the image of the film on the video monitor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A film image input system wherein the image of the developed still photo film is reproduced on the video monitor has heretofore been known by U.S. Pat. No. 4,482,924, U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,406, U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,300, WO 90/04301 and so forth.
As shown in FIG. 35 for example, a film image input system 1 comprises: a film feeding system including a feed reel 3 for delivering a long film 2 of a developed still photo and a take-up reel 5, an image pick-up optical system 6 consisting of a lighting 6A and a taking lens 6B; an image sensor 7A such as a charge coupled device (CCD); and an image signal process circuit 7B.
The film is delivered frame by frame between the lighting unit 6A and the taking lens 6B. The image of the film 2 is illuminated by a light from the lighting unit 6A, and the image thus illuminated is picked up by the taking lens 6B and made to focus at the image sensor 7A. With this arrangement, the image on the film 2 is converted into electric signals in the image sensor 7A, signal-processed in the image signal process circuit, thereafter, output into a video monitor and reproduced on the video monitor 8. Furthermore, the film image input system of this type may include a zoom mechanism, a film scan mechanism (X-Y moving mechanism), an image sensor rotating mechanism and so forth.
Now, in the film image input system of this type, when the image of the film is scanned, a moving speed of a screen of the video monitor 8 during the scan is varied by the image magnification of the taking lens 6B. Namely, there have been such disadvantages that, when the image magnification of the taking lens 6B is large, the moving speed of the screen of the video monitor 8 is increased, and, when the image magnification of the taking lens 6B is small; the moving speed of the screen of the video monitor 8 is decreased. Furthermore, when the image of the film is scanned within one frame, the scan is performed by moving the film 2 and the image pick-up optical system 6 relatively to each other in a direction X or Y. However, the scan mechanism in the conventional film image input system cannot be moved in the directions X and Y simultaneously. Consequently, when the scan is performed in an oblique direction, the scan mechanism must be moved alternately in the direction X or Y, thereby presenting the problem that it takes time for the operation of buttons or a lever for scanning.
Furthermore, during frame feeding, when the reproduction of the succeeding frame is performed while holding the scan position and the image magnification of the preceding frame, there is presented the problem that the whole image of the succeeding frame cannot be observed. Further, there is presented the problem that the scan position is manually returned to the center of the film so that the whole frame of the film image can occupy the whole screen of the video monitor from the optional scan position and image magnification, and the image magnification is returned to a standard image magnification to perform the reproduction (hereinafter referred to as a "standard reproduction"), thus taking much time. On the other hand, the scan speed during the operation of the scan buttons and the zoom speed during the operation of the zoom buttons are set at relatively low values, respectively, because it is necessary to determine desired scan position and zooming while observing the image on the screen of the video monitor. For example, there are presented the problems that, to manually return the maximum image magnification to the said standard magnification, it takes about 4 sec., and it takes a long time for the film image to appear in the condition of the standard reproduction.
Further, when a film cartridge having a spool, around which the developed still photo film is wound, is used, if the film cartridge is constructed so as to be put into and taken out through the top portion of the film image input system, then, AV (audio-visual) components and the like cannot be superposed on the top portion of the film image input system, thus unabling to use a space effectively.
Furthermore, it is necessary to guide the developed still photo film in such a manner that the optical axis of the taking lens 6B perpendicularly intersects the surface of the film, in order to form a focal plane over the whole area of the film surface in the pick-up region of the taking lens 6B. Further, it is necessary to make the inclinations of the image sensor 7A and the film coincide with each other in order to prevent the image reproduced on the video monitor from inclining. Namely, it is necessary to adjust three angles for determining relative postures of the taking lens 6B and the film surface.
However, the conventional film image input system is not provided with a mechanism for adjusting these three angles, thus presenting the problems that the focal plane over the whole area of the film surface cannot be formed because of the shift in the relative postures of the taking lens 6B and the film surface due to the errors in the assembling and the like, and the readjusting in forming the focal plane during trimming becomes necessary.